The handsome mando player in my life was a mechanic for 15 years. The toyota, with the 22R is what you want. For bigger loads, go for a 6 cylinder, like the Tacoma. We've had ours (4 cylinder) for many years. For bigger loads with a 4, get a trailer. Far easier to load and off load as well. I pay attention to what consumers report says most of the time, but Toyotas are the way to go, hands down. Oh yeah, you can pull a better load with a standard tranny than an auto, as a rule.